The Architectural Impulse

Cristin Tierney Gallery is pleased to present The Architectural Impulse, a group exhibition curated by Warren James and featuring artists whose works draw from the materials, processes and theoretical concerns of the architectural discipline.

The attraction of the architectural is familiar to anyone who has ever stacked building blocks, drawn a house, or pitched a tent. Concepts of geometry, perspective, and spatial relations are used not only in architecture, but also in a wide range of commonplace activities. This universal connection to the designed and built environment, and its different interpretations, is explored in The Architectural Impulse.

Some of the works included in this exhibition, such as Jennifer Marman’s and Daniel Borins’ interactive and disorienting floor installation or Jean Shin’s ziggurat-like structure built from rolodex cards, borrow from the elemental forms of buildings. Others simply utilize materials and tools of design and construction: Elise Ferguson’s “painting” in MDF and plaster and Richard Galpin’s use of an orbital sander to erase photographic surfaces. Still other works

reference architectural planning and interiors, as seen in Francisco Ugarte’s map-like drawing or Jorge Tacla’s oil and cold wax painting of the interior of a Palladian building.

Representing three generations of artists from all over the world, this eclectic and poetic assemblage of works offers many connections. From video to painting, sculpture to photography, and works on paper to installation, the works in The Architectural Impulse comment on the basic human desire to create things larger and more permanent than us.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Cristin Tierney Gallery will also present Artists on Architecture, a panel discussion moderated by architect Jing Liu of SO-IL. Panelists include architect and curator Warren James, plus artists Elise Ferguson, Alois Kronschlaeger, and Jean Shin. Open to the public and followed by a reception, the event will take place at the Center for Architecture, located at 536 LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village, on Wednesday, July 8th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Warren James is an architect and urban designer based in Manhattan with an international practice. He is also a published author, guest curator, university lecturer, and visiting professor. James’ architecture and planning studio designed both the PINTA: Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art fair and FLUX Art Fair in New York. The studio has worked on exhibitions for The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, NY; Museo del Barrio, New York, NY; Museum of the City of New York, New York, NY; and Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, PR. As part of a multidisciplinary team, James’ firm contributed to the planning for the proposed National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C.

Cristin Tierney Gallery will be open Monday – Friday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm during July and August.

For more information, please contact Candace Moeller at candace@cristintierney.com.